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GUELPH, Ont.—Automotive parts manufacturer, Linamar Corp., today unveiled a new system for hybrid all-wheel drive vehicles that improves city driving fuel efficiency by 80 per cent.

The Agilit-e Hybrid Power Unit has twin independent 75-kilowatt (kW) motors, and can be easily integrated with any two-wheel drive powertrain. Simple “bolt-on” installation between a vehicle’s suspension components creates an all-wheel drive hybrid system, allowing a vehicle to operate in four different drive modes:

• Front-wheel drive powered by the internal combustion engine;
• rear-wheel drive powered by the battery and electric motors for electric-only operation, suitable for city driving;
• hybrid mode, for a combination of city and highway driving;
• all-wheel drive mode, ideal for snowy roads or situations that require optimal handling.

Linamar’s demonstration vehicle, a Cadillac SRX, can run about 20 miles just on the lithium-ion batteries. Even after the internal combustion kicks in, the batteries can provide extra power to boost acceleration when needed.

“Consumers increasingly want the safety of an all-wheel drive, the fuel efficiency of a hybrid and the power of an internal combustion engine,” said Mark Stoddart, CTO, Linamar.

“The Agilit-e Hybrid Power Unit answers all of those needs without sacrificing performance or adding significant costs.”

Safety and handling can be further improved by programming the twin motors for independent active torque vectoring.

The unit is currently being evaluated with a number of auto manufacturers, the company said.

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